The papers consist of correspondence, writings, research material, and personal memorabilia which document Harold Dwight Lasswell's boyhood and his career from 1939-1978, primarily as director of War Communications Research at the Library of Congress and as professor of law and political science at Yale University. The papers also reflect Lasswell's diverse research interests in content analysis, communications, psychology, values, policy sciences, and other fields in political and social sciences and law.